Muskrat Will Be Swimming

A Native American girl's feelings are hurt when schoolmates make fun of the children who live at the lake, but then her grampa tells her a Seneca folktale that reminds her how much she appreciates her home and her place in the world.

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A sweet, gentle story to help children cope with name-calling. The setting is a lake in northeastern U.S.A and the young protagonist, Jeannie, is a modern American Indian. The kids at school call her and the other Indians who live at the lakeshore "Lake Rats." Jeannie's grandfather tells her a traditional Seneca tale about the role muskrat played when Skywoman came to Earth. Rich watercolour illustrations by Robert Hynes. Grades 1 - 4.